| (1) | A relevant professional board or a committee of a professional board to whom the function hasbeen delegated may authorise the registrar to suspend the registration of any person— |
| (a) | who has failed to notify the registrar of his or her present address, within a period of three months from the date of an inquiry sent by the registrar by certified mail, which is returned unclaimed, to the address appearing in the register in respect of such person; |
| (b) | who has failed to pay his or her prescribed annual fee on a date when it became due in terms of section 61A; |
| (c) | who has been found guilty of unprofessional conduct and on whom a penalty referred to in section 42(1)(b) of the Act is imposed; |
| (d) | who has failed to comply with the requirements in respect of continuing professional development as prescribed under section 26; or |
| (e) | who on the basis of a complaint lodged with the council or information available at the disposal of council is posing an imminent threat or danger to the public in terms of his or her professional practice. |
| (2) | The registrar must issue the notice of suspension and forward it to the person contemplated in subsection (1) by way of certified mail, fax or electronic transmission to the address appearing in respect of him or her in the register. |
| (3) | As from the date of issue of the notice referred to in subsection (2) and its receipt by the person concerned— |
| (a) | any registration certificate issued in terms of this Act to the person concerned must be deemed to be suspended; and |
| (b) | such person must immediately cease to practise the health profession in respect of which he or she is registered or to perform any act which he or she in his or her capacity as a registered person is entitled to perform, until such time as the suspension of his or her registration is lifted. |
| (4) | The suspension of any person in terms of subsection (1) must be revoked by the registrar upon— |
| (a) | the payment of any annual fee which was not paid and payment of a restoration fee and other penalties as may be prescribed; |
| (b) | the expiry of the suspension period; |
| (c) | such person complying with requirements in respect of continuing professional development as prescribed under section 26; and |
| (d) | such person complying with such other requirements as the relevant professional board may determine. |
[Section 19A inserted by section 20 of Act No. 29 of 2007]
